Individuals and organizations use collaboration spaces to conduct work on an internal computer network. Commercial solutions exist to support a diverse set of structures that support such collaboration spaces. However, these solutions provide internal-only mechanisms, which segregate the shared spaces behind a firewall. Additionally, in instances where collaboration between two or more organizations/individuals is needed, spanning the firewall or implementing a solution outside of the firewall altogether can pose great security risks. Although information may be protected, in some instances, by identity-based access methods (e.g., usernames and passwords), confidential information may nevertheless be viewed by those who obtain these access credentials. Maintaining confidentiality of a given data goes beyond the data itself, and often includes information about the data's existence. While existing solutions provide some form of security of the data, they often fall short of protecting the data's existence altogether.
Furthermore, in solutions requiring setting up of two separate environments (one internal to a user's/organization's devices and one external), there is an increased risk of losing synchronization, efficiencies, and breakdowns in communication.